thanks for the memories and effort on the pitch cesc, however there's no way I can wish you luck at that club along with cretins such as puyol, pique and xavi. If you spend the whole season injured I would struggle to give a toss.

agree with the opening post, Wenger wasted one of the biggest talents the club has ever seen, and wasted the last 6 yrs of our lives, thanks to his stubborn obsession with an absurd project and philosophy.

that said, I can't wish anyone luck at barca, either.

I think that's a bit off the mark, Kami. Where was Cesc in various key moments over the years? Don't you feel as if Cesc is basically taking the easy route himself? Was it even possible to keep Cesc?

Klaus wrote:

David Hytner has the latest on Fabregas.

You can almost feel the excitement. And that's just among London football writers, who have had more reason that most to curse Cesc Fabregas and Barcelona in recent times. The Arsenal captain is finally getting his transfer back home. It'll cost £35m and it will (please God) stop the thrice-daily 'What's the latest on Cesc?' demands. But, heavy sigh, it's not yet official and there is no truth to the rumour that he will be officially unveiled in Barcelona tomorrow.

What a complete tit. It's people like Hytner who have been responsible for all of the shit-stirring over the years. The bloody cunt should take a good long look in the mirror before he starts complaining.

Wenger and Fabregas waste six years of our lives, drag our club through the mud and make it the laughing stock of the football world, and you want to deflect the blame to some irrelevant hack?

I've gradually come to terms with the idea of Cesc leaving, and i think he's behaved really badly this summer, but in the cold light of day I'm pretty gutted about it all. We might watch Arsenal for another 40 years and not see a player as good as Cesc in our shirt. He's been brilliant for us and carried the team on his shoulders for large parts of the last 5-6 years.

It's just all bollox that it's ended up like this, and i dont think Wenger and the club can duck behind Cesc's shoddy behaviour. They have to carry the can for the complete mismanagement of the whole situation.

So they've gotten the better of us and their persistent underhand campaign paid off?
Our best player sold for a nonsense amount of money.
It maddens me that Cesc himself was willing to be party to this con but it grieves me to think he'll be wearing a Barca shirt instead of an Arsenal one this season.
Wenger must have planned to make up for this departure given the hole it's left in the team?
I think he has little choice but to reinvest every pound earned by this transfer on a signing that shows that we are strong, ambitious and can move on.

He has to find a player that lifts the team and the fans.
I hope that while all the Cesc rubbish was trudging on that most of the work had been done.

Wenger's ultimate failing - making one player bigger than the team, the club almost.

Is Kaka past it? Is he available?

Tim wrote:

I've gradually come to terms with the idea of Cesc leaving, and i think he's behaved really badly this summer, but in the cold light of day I'm pretty gutted about it all. We might watch Arsenal for another 40 years and not see a player as good as Cesc in our shirt. He's been brilliant for us and carried the team on his shoulders for large parts of the last 5-6 years.

It's just all bollox that it's ended up like this, and i dont think Wenger and the club can duck behind Cesc's shoddy behaviour. They have to carry the can for the complete mismanagement of the whole situation.

that's crazy of course we'll see another talent as good as cesc, most likely even better because we've certainly had much better in the recent past.

Meatwad wrote:
Tim wrote:

I've gradually come to terms with the idea of Cesc leaving, and i think he's behaved really badly this summer, but in the cold light of day I'm pretty gutted about it all. We might watch Arsenal for another 40 years and not see a player as good as Cesc in our shirt. He's been brilliant for us and carried the team on his shoulders for large parts of the last 5-6 years.

It's just all bollox that it's ended up like this, and i dont think Wenger and the club can duck behind Cesc's shoddy behaviour. They have to carry the can for the complete mismanagement of the whole situation.

that's crazy of course we'll see another talent as good as cesc, most likely even better because we've certainly had much better in the recent past.

You're talking about players that made up probably the greatest team in our history. We could all very easily never see an Arsenal team as good as that one again, or the kind of players that were in it.

Cesc is one of the top 7-8 players in the world. I dont think it's a given that we'll have a player that good again any time soon.

😆 The NDA clause? Is that anything to do with the DNA clause?
And has it got anything to do with our Klause?

I'm confused......

Tim wrote:
Meatwad wrote:

that's crazy of course we'll see another talent as good as cesc, most likely even better because we've certainly had much better in the recent past.

You're talking about players that made up probably the greatest team in our history. We could all very easily never see an Arsenal team as good as that one again, or the kind of players that were in it.

Cesc is one of the top 7-8 players in the world. I dont think it's a given that we'll have a player that good again any time soon.

we're not spurs for crying out loud. just like we've had players better than cesc in the past, we'll have players as good or better than cesc in the future. even when cesc was here RVP was the most talented player on the team. so as far as i'm concerned i'm still seeing a talent as good or better than cesc on the team right now.

and i agree we may never see an arsenal team as good as the invincibles again, but assembling great teams is much harder than finding one great player.

Should have sold him a year ago and bought Ozil. We can still redeem ourselves by getting Gotze. Unfortunately we will just play Ramsey.

Pretty sure Ozil would have still chosen Madrid over us.

We have players at the club now who could become better than Cesc.

QS, none of our young players are on the same development trajectory that Fabregas was on at 17, 19 or 21. We do not have young players who reasonably look like they will be better than Fabregas. I'm excited about seeing more of Wilshere, and hopefully a healthy Vermaelen and RvP. It does, however, feel that as we move away from those 4 players, we have limited, proven game winners; just hope that someone like Ramsey or Gervinho can quickly take that step up

Yeah, adios you greasy rat thanks for nothing.

Caligula wrote:

QS, none of our young players are on the same development trajectory that Fabregas was on at 17, 19 or 21. We do not have young players who reasonably look like they will be better than Fabregas. I'm excited about seeing more of Wilshere, and hopefully a healthy Vermaelen and RvP. It does, however, feel that as we move away from those 4 players, we have limited, proven game winners; just hope that someone like Ramsey or Gervinho can quickly take that step up

Fabregas plateaued at around 21/22, since then he's stayed at the same level ability wise and stopped bothering to defend. Most of all he's become a crock so I see no reason players like Wilshere, Ramsey, Ox, Ryo, etc can't go on to out do him. Cesc was world class but he's not so great that we wont see many better in the future.

At the end of the day he did nothing at this club and thats what we'll all remember in the long run. Fuck him.

After 21, he moved into the Berkgamp role and started adding goals, although at the expense of defensive effort. I still think Wenger erred in not finding someone like Mascherano and playing a 2 man midfield such asFabregas + Mascherano. We need to get rid of this 4 3 3 rubbish until we can explain what the purpose of each of the midfielders is

Biggus wrote:
Klaus wrote:

What a complete tit. It's people like Hytner who have been responsible for all of the shit-stirring over the years. The bloody cunt should take a good long look in the mirror before he starts complaining.

Wenger and Fabregas waste six years of our lives, drag our club through the mud and make it the laughing stock of the football world, and you want to deflect the blame to some irrelevant hack?

I've said nothing of the sort. Smarten up, Biggus. This routine is getting a bit old.

Caligula wrote:

I still think Wenger erred in not finding someone like Mascherano and playing a 2 man midfield such asFabregas + Mascherano.

I'd guess he'd be a hard one to prize away but he's gettable. It wouldn't be like trying to sign ozil, more like trying to sign hazard from lille. Maybe slightly tougher

Tim wrote:

I've gradually come to terms with the idea of Cesc leaving, and i think he's behaved really badly this summer, but in the cold light of day I'm pretty gutted about it all. We might watch Arsenal for another 40 years and not see a player as good as Cesc in our shirt. He's been brilliant for us and carried the team on his shoulders for large parts of the last 5-6 years.

I'm sure people thought the same after the likes of Wright, Bergkamp, Henry, Vieiera etc. We have Wilshere now who has the potential to be exceptional.

Dont be too down, onwards and upwards once Wenger goes, he cant manage us forever

gotze would be very hard to pry from dortmund. i imagine they wouldnt even consider an offer < 30m. but he'd be the type of signing we need - top, top class.

Good fucking riddance. Hope you achieve as much for Barcelona as you achieved for us. Looking forward to the post Cesc and hopefully soon post Wenger era.

People here can be so whiny and ungrateful sometimes.

If you put yourselves in Cesc's shoes you would have done exactly as he did.

In all the interviews he gave the Spanish press he insisted he was planning to stay at Arsenal. He made it as easy as he could for us to get a large sum of money while securing a move to the club he's always been a fan of, and which is currently managed by his favourite player ever and who he chose his number 4 for - not to mention the best team in the world in his home town.

If we'd been winning trebles no doubt we wouldn't have lost him when we did, but it's nothing short of a mad fantasy considering how much money we actually have compared to the giants we are competing with.

Thanks for the good memories, Cesc, but make no mistake, you never 'paid us back'.

P.S. looking at the picture of flamini above I can't help but think of how 90% of Arsenal-Mania cited Flamini (and later Song and Adebayor) as nothing players that'd never do anything and proved Wenger was mad. Strangely enough I feel more confident about our season now that Cesc is gone. His style was after far from suited to the premiership.

Grateful? for what?

RC8 wrote:

His style was after far from suited to the premiership.

Totally agree RC, and I'd be optimistic too- If I had the slightest hope that Wenger would bring in players that are suited- But I don't.

I'm incline to agree, I don't see why we should wish Cesc an injury or hope he fails. As far as I'm concerned he was a talented footballer who did a good job while playing for Arsenal. Maybe he could have handled the transfer better but he sure as hell could have done a lot worse.

I don't have any affection for him now that he's left and I cannot wish him well while he plays for Barcelona, but I hope he's happy living in Spain. To me he's just another footballer now.

Word to the wise Cesc, you need better mates.

I'm optimistic even if he doesn't. With Fabregas the team hasn't been built to play like a team, it hasn't been built to its strengths, but rather to the strengths of this one (admittedly great) player instead.

Even with Cesc at his best we never really played what was once known as 'wengerball' whenever teams closed down at the back. The current teams needs too many touches to get things done.

Word to Cesc.
Prepare to go on strike.

200 liga players will be owed a total of $71 million by the start of the season.
All players say they will go on strike if a new collective bargaining agreement is not signed.
http://www.mail.com/int/sports/soccer/618842-spanish-players-threaten-strike-season.html

Strange looking back now on the seasons when Cesc was at his best.
Maybe I'm not alone in remembering the feeling that we were on the cusp of something great with him at the hub of the team of 2007/08.
All we needed was to keep the team together and reinforce.
Naturally Arsene didn't see it this way.

I do feel sad, I remember Cesc greeting us supporters in the North Bank in 2006 as he was about to come on against Portsmouth. He was a bright kid back then, a talent in whom only those of us at Arsenal believed in. There was no trophy-less drought back in that winter night, and if him, Reyes, Flamini, etc. blossomed under the leadership of Cole, Henry, Pires, and Freddie, we would continue our dynasty and keep the chants of 'one team in London' ringing through the terrace for a while.

The aura around that team was special. Arsenal didn't feel hopelessly corporate then, it also didn't feel like we needed to be.

Remember when Chelsea ruining football was an anomaly and not a fact of life that all clubs do when they have the means (sugardaddy) to? When the vast majority of Arsenal fans wanted Barca to beat R. Madrid to punish them for how they'd behaved towards us during the Vieira saga? Those were the days when a young Cesc Fabregas promised to continue bringing glory to Highbury.

RC8 wrote:

I do feel sad, I remember Cesc greeting us supporters in the North Bank in 2006 as he was about to come on against Portsmouth. He was a bright kid back then, a talent in whom only those of us at Arsenal believed in. There was no trophy-less drought back in that winter night, and if him, Reyes, Flamini, etc. blossomed under the leadership of Cole, Henry, Pires, and Freddie, we would continue our dynasty and keep the chants of 'one team in London' ringing through the terrace for a while.

The aura around that team was special. Arsenal didn't feel hopelessly corporate then, it also didn't feel like we needed to be.

Remember when Chelsea ruining football was an anomaly and not a fact of life that all clubs do when they have the means (sugardaddy) to? When the vast majority of Arsenal fans wanted Barca to beat R. Madrid to punish them for how they'd behaved towards us during the Vieira saga? Those were the days when a young Cesc Fabregas promised to continue bringing glory to Highbury.

Jeez RC8 now you're making me sad.
It wasn't even that long ago.

What the hell happened?
Every season that followed 2007/08 saw us standstill or regress.

yea you really summed up how football doesnt feel the same anymore. not sure that its just the lack of trophies, either.

anyway, i dont blame fabregas for anything - he created more chances for us than anyone in europe. i blame wenger for his failure to surround him with a team that was capable of winning, for his failure to adopt tactics and a footballing philosophy that could be successful. i can't say i wish fabregas well at THAT CLUB, but that's more to do with them than him.

looking back at fabregas' arsenal career, it's just a shame that all that talent was wasted by wenger.

Kami. You have beautifully captured my feelings on the whole Fabregas affair. in the end, it feels a big waste

it's a shame. i feel like wenger is running this club down the same dead end over and over, and there's nothing we can do about it. it's a mix of anger, irritation, frustration.

i feel like if i saw wenger in the street, i'd run up to him the way terry or rooney run up to a ref, and just scream "what the f*** are you doing??? snap out of it!!!" to his face.

RC8 wrote:

P.S. looking at the picture of flamini above I can't help but think of how 90% of Arsenal-Mania cited Flamini (and later Song and Adebayor) as nothing players that'd never do anything and proved Wenger was mad. Strangely enough I feel more confident about our season now that Cesc is gone. His style was after far from suited to the premiership.

That's a good point, and I think it's something all the pundits are ignoring. The Henry departure spurred us on, and you'd have to think that the players might actually feed off all the bullshit. We always seem to do well when the pressure's off, and in a lot of respects that's what is happening right now.

Say, if Cesc goes that makes Almunia the longest serving Arsenal player. With RvP. 😆

Hmm those 3 players define Wengers last 6 years perfectly.
The brilliant player whose career was hamstrung by injuries.
The worthless clod who only Wenger sees worth in and persisted with to the point of lunacy.
The genius who he nurtured and betrayed and was betrayed by him.

I've always believed that Wenger's biggest mistake was replacing Vieira with Cesc and building the team around him. Glad that that's over at least.